Deshaun Watson. Credit: Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union
By Tyler Lauletta on

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The first game of the Cleveland Browns season probably went worse than expected, which is tough, because expectations were pretty low to begin with.

On the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Deshaun Watson threw an interception on his third throw of the season, while the Jaguars scored three touchdowns and a field goal on their first four drives of the game, and carried a 24–0 lead into halftime.

That lead would expand to 34–3 before the Browns finally found the end zone with less than two minutes left to play. After the ensuing kickoff, Jaguars backup QB Nick Mullens knelt three times to secure a 34–10 victory.

Things were already bad in Cleveland, and on Wednesday, Watson threw a bit more fuel on the fire. Speaking with reporters, Watson blamed the media for what he saw as unfairly high expectations for his performance.

“Personally, I think all that is from the media. I think the media has this expectation that I’m supposed to throw 400 yards and five touchdowns every week,” Watson said. “So until that happens, I guess it’s going to be the same situation. My job is to make sure I’m operating well so we can try to get a win and keep moving forward from there.”

Watson has thrown for five touchdowns and more than 400 yards once in his career. It came in Houston in 2019 against the Atlanta Falcons, and he finished with a perfect QB rating of 158.3. It was the type of performance that made the Browns think he might be worth giving the most guaranteed money in NFL history despite more than 20 accusations of sexual assault and misconduct.

Since joining the Browns, Watson has mostly been injured. When he has been on the field, it has not been good. Watson threw seven touchdowns in six starts in both 2022 and 2023, and only managed five touchdowns in seven starts while never throwing for more than 200 yards in 2024.

It is safe to say that expectations for Watson, based on his form since joining the Browns five years ago, are not that high. Statistically, throwing for 205 yards, a touchdown and just one interception makes his start in Week 1 probably his best outing since 2023, and would be in the five best performances of his career in Cleveland. That resulted in a 31–10 loss that was never competitive.

Online, fans were quick to point out how out of touch Watson sounded in his remarks.

The Browns travel to Tampa Bay to face off against former Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers this week. In Week 3, the Browns play their home opener against the Carolina Panthers.

The last time Watson played in front of fans in Cleveland, they booed him off the field in the preseason. He responded to that by criticizing his own fan base, calling them “disrespectful.” He was named the Week 1 starter the next day.

No one expects Watson to throw for 400 yards and five touchdowns on Sunday, but if he wants to receive a more welcoming reception from Browns fans in Week 3, it would certainly help.

About Tyler Lauletta

Tyler is a editorial contributor at Awful Announcing, with previous stops at Sports Illustrated and Business Insider during his career covering sports in digital media. He is, begrudgingly, a Truster of the Process and general Philly sports sicko.

View all posts by Tyler Lauletta